Spring holding clip for use in radios and other devices



p 18, 1939- K. E. B. STENBERG 2,

SPRING HOLDLNG CLIP EOR USE IN RADIOS AND OTHER DEVICES Filed Jan. 19,1958 ,Zirrar; 07'

Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AND OTHER- DEVICESKnut E. Birger Stenberg, Attleboro, Mass, as-

signor to Associated Attleboro Manufacturers,

Inc., Attleboro, Mass.

chusetts a corporation of Massa- Application January 19, 1938,-SerialNo. 185,718

4 Claims.

My invention relates to spring holding clips for use in radios or otherdeviceshaving rotatable rods for dial turning, tuning or other purposesto attach suitable turning knobs to the ends of such rods.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel type of turning clipwhich may be readily and cheaply stamped out in quantity forfrictionally securing such a knob to such a rod without the necessity ofseparate screws or means thought necessary in former types of attachingdevices.

These and such other objects of my invention as may hereinafter appearwill be best understood from a description of the accompanying drawingwhich illustrates an embodiment thereof in use in attaching a turningknob to the end of a turning rod of a radio cabinet.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a radio cabinet having the knobs of theturning rods attached thereto through the medium of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing my improved spring clip inthe position it assumes prior to having its bowed portion flattened bythe turning rod as shown in Fig. 2 in attaching said knob to said rod.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the clip in position on the knob asshown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the turning knob shown in Fig. 4with my spring holding clip removed.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of my improved spring holding clip.

In the drawing, wherein like characters of reference generally indicatelike parts throughout, it] generally indicates a spring holding clipconstructed in accordance with my invention. Said clip may beconveniently constructed by bending it of flat sheet metal in one ormore punching, stamping or metal shaping or cutting operations. Saidclip comprises a bowed longitudinally extending portion 12 and a portionI4 projecting radially outwardly from an end thereof having an integrallug [6 of substantial width projecting longitudinally in the samedirection as said bowed portion from a portion thereof preferablysubstantially the center portion thereof in my preferred embodiment.Said lug l6 preferably comprises a flat portion of substantial width inthe same general direction as said bowed portion l2 and being struck-upfrom the center portion 20 of said radially extending portion, leavingthe cut out portion 22 therein.

To provide substantial resilient width to said lug, said lug preferablyterminates in an end 24v bent substantially at right angles thereto inmy preferred embodiment towards said longitudinally extending portionl2.

As stated, my improved spring holding clip is particularly adapted foruse in radios or other V7. devices having rotatable rods for settingdials,

with a flat portion 34 at the outer end thereof for the'atta'chment-ofthe knob 36 thereto. The knob 36 is of generally solid cylindrical shapeand may be provided with a knurled turning portion 3B'at the outer endthereof.

In mypreferred embodiment, for a purpose 'to be described and to permitthe inner end of the knob 36 to rest in close proximity to the wall ofthe radio cabinet, said inner end is preferably provided with a centralinset portion 40 generally of cylindrical shape and thus providing awall 42 projecting axially inwardly from said knob externally of saidinset portion. Said knob 'isprovided with a central axial hole 44extending from the inner end thereof and thus where the inset centerportion 40 is employed from the outer end thereof. The outer end of saidrod 32 may be round and provided with an axially extending segmental cutout portion forming the flat portion 34. In this instance, the'axialhole 44 is also round. It is obvious however that both the end of therod 32 and the axial 'hole 44 may be of any desired shape so long assumcient clearance is provided to receive the longitudinally extendingportion I2 of my improved clip H], to compress the bow 46 thereof from"the curved position shown in Fig. 3 to the more flattened shape shown inFig. 2 which bow thereafter tends toexpand to its original position tourge the end of said rod against the opposite wall of said axial hole 44to resiliently retain said knob 36 to the end of said rod 32. Said knob36 is also provided with a hole 48 extending axially fromthe inner endof said knob and, if a central inset portion 40 be employed from theouter end thereof, located radially of said central hole 44, which hole48, while preferably cylindrical, may also be of any desired shape.

The axially or longitudinally extending lug l6 of my improved springclip is spaced from the axially or longitudinally expanding bowedportion l2 a sufiicient distance to project within said hole 48. Theinner end of said lug I6 is preferably of a compressible size to beresiliently retained within said radial hole 48 and as stated, for thispurpose the inner end thereof terminates in the flat portion 24 bentsubstantially at right angles thereto.

If a central inset portion 40 be provided, the outer end 50 of saidradially projecting portion l4 may also resiliently abut the axiallyextending wall 42 of said knob exterior of said out out portion. Asresilient metal is employed the portion of my improved spring holdingclip 52 connecting the longitudinally bowed portion l2 and radiallyextending portion 14 is inherently some- 7 what curved and for thispurpose if desired, as

in the embodiment shown, the central inset knob portion may be providedwith a supplemental central inset portion 54 therein to accommodate saidcurve, and said central inset portion 40 may also be provided with aradially extending inset channel 55 to receive therein the radiallyoutwardly projecting portion 14 of my improved spring clip.

If desired, to more evenly abut the flat end of the longitudinallyextending portion of my spring clip In, the axial hole 44 may beprovided with a flat portion 58 aligned with the radially extendingchannel 56 therein.

It is thus obvious that in use, it is merely necessary to align theaxially extending portion 12 of my improved clip with the axial centralplug hole 44 and the lug I 6 with said radially spaced axial plug hole48 and by simple axial pressure exerted on the radial portion ll of saidclip insert the longitudinally extending bowed portion l2 thereof withinsaid axial hole 44 and compress said lug portion l6 within said axialhole 48. As the inturned end 24 of said lug portion I6 is insertedaxially inwardly of the radial knob hole 48, the end 24 thereof bentsubstantially at right angles thereto, in the embodiment shown slightlymore than right angles, will project substantially diametrically acrosssaid hole 48 and abut a wall of said radial knob hole to force theopposite longitudinally extending portion l8 thereof against theopposite portion of the wall of said radial plug hole to resilientconfine said knob 36 within said radial plug hole 48 to retain said clipHi to said knob 38.

The knobs may be made up and sold as units with the spring clipsattached as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When it is desired to attach ordetach the knob 36 to the end of the rod 32, it is obvious that it ismerely necessary to align the bowed portion l2 of said spring clip withthe flat portion 34 on the end of the rod and push the knob inwardly.When thus inserted the bowed portion will become flattened from theposition shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 2, by the flatend 68 thereof abutting the fiat portion 58 of said hole 44 to urge saidrod 32 against the opposite wall of the hole 44 to resiliently securethe knob 36 to the end of the rod 32. It is thus obvious that when theportion I2 of the spring clip I8 is inserted within the axial hole 44that it will provide a resiliently expansible and contractible socketwith said hole 44 for resiliently retaining the knob 36 to the end ofsaid turning rod 32.

It is apparent that I provide a novel type of spring holding clipparticularly adapted for use in holding knobs to rod ends with theadvantages explained above.

As shown in Fig. 2, the end 24 of the lug H5 in attached position ispreferably at slightly less than a right angle to the longitudinallyextending portion l8 to cause said end to bite into the opposite side ofthe wall at an acute angle. It is thus obvious that it will besubstantially impossible to pull the lug l6 out of its hole 48 for themore pressure exerted thereon for this purpose the more will saidpressure cause said end 24 to bite into the wall of the hole 48 and locksaid lug therein.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specificembodiment shown and that various deviations may be made therefromwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A spring holding clip for use in radios or other devices having arotatable rod having a flat portion at the outer end thereof, and a knobmember having a knurled turning portion at the outer end thereof, acentral axial hole therein extending from the inner end thereof having awall and a hole extending axially from the inner end thereof locatedradially of said central hole, a fiat metal spring clip comprising aradially inwardly bowed portion adapted to extend axially of the fiatportion of said turning rod to have the fiat end thereof abut thesurface of said axial hole to press the extended side wall thereofagainst said rod to confine said rod against the opposite wall of thecentral axial rod hole and a portion projecting integrally radiallyoutwardly from the inner end thereof having an integral lug pro jectingaxially inwardly from a portion thereof adapted to project axiallyinwardly within the radial knob hole of a width to engage the wallsthereof to retain said spring clip to said knob and said knob to saidrod. 1

2. A flat metal spring clip for use in attaching knobs to rotatableradio rods, comprising an outwardly bowed longitudinally extendingportion and a portion projecting radially outwardly from an end thereofhaving an integral lug of sub-' stantial width projecting longitudinallyin the same direction as said bowed portion from a portion thereof.

3. A spring holding clip for use in radios or other devices having arotatable rod having a flat 4 portion at the outer end thereof, and aknob member having a knurled turning portion at the outer end thereof, acentral axial hole therein extending from the inner end thereof having awall and a hole extending axially from the inner endthereof locatedradially of said central hole, a fiat metal spring clip comprising aradially inwardly bowed portion adapted to extend axially of the flatportion of said turning rod to have the flat end thereof abut thesurface of said axial hole to press the extended side wall thereofagainst said rod to confine said rod against the opposite wall of thecentral axial rod hole and a portion projecting integrally radiallyoutwardly from the inner end thereof having an integral lug projectingaxially inwardly from a portion thereof adapted to project axiallyinwardly within the radial knob hole terminating in an and bent atslightly less than right angles thereto,

projecting diametrically across said hole and abutting a wall of saidradial knob hole at an acute angle to positively lock the axiallyextending portion of said lug against the opposite wall of said plughole against axial outward movement thereof to retain said clip to saidknob and said knob to said rod.

4. A flat metal spring clip for use in attaching knobs to rotatableradio rods, comprising an outwardly bowed longitudinally extendingportion and a portion projecting radially outwardly from an end thereofhaving an integral lug projecting longitudinally in the same directionas said bowed portion from a portion thereof terminating in an end bentat slightly less than right angles thereto.

KNUT E. BIRGER STENBERG.

